England, part of The United Kingdom, and home to probably the most famous monarchy in the world. It's a very popular destination for millions around the world & for some odd reason I decided to go in March for my final college Spring Break when it was cold and rainy. Regardless, I still had an incredible time! I spent most of my time in London, and believe me I still didn't see everything. I do feel I made a semi-decent dent during my time there and pretty happy with the itinerary I concocted for myself.

If it's your first time in England these are the spots & activities I recommend you check out if you have at least five days! 

Five Days in England

Day One - London

Try Bangers & Mash

I landed at London Heathrow around 9:20am so by the time we got to our hotel, cleaned up and were ready to venture out, it was lunch time. I started off by trying Bangers & Mash at a restaurant near the London Eye which was clearly some sort of a chain. It would be best to find somewhere a little more "hole in the wall" to have a better experience with this dish than I did. How can you go wrong with sausage and potatoes?

Ride the London Eye

If you're unaware, this is the giant ferris wheel which gives you a great view of the city! I booked my tickets through Headout which was super easy & convenient! I was able to get fast track tickets which I used directly from the app, no extra redemption required. The ride lasted about 30 mins & the glass cars are huge! They also did a good job of not overcrowding them so you can easily move around & see different angles.

See the Clock Tower aka Big Ben

Much to my dismay, this was undergoing restoration while I was visiting so there was a ton of scaffolding! Fortunately, now that's all gone! Personally, I got the best picture I could and moved on as that's all there really was to this. It's a pretty impressive piece of architecture nonetheless!

Get a Picture in a Red Phone Booth

These are a classic & a must if you're into putting your pictures on Instagram. You'll find a fair few of these around, so just find one that's unoccupied. Don't worry, you won't be the only one doing this. As soon as I took my pictures, someone else went right after me!

See the Parliament Building

This building is absolutely beautiful! From what I could tell, you couldn't go in unless on special days. So we just walked around the grounds and admired the architecture. 

Visit Buckingham Palace

Believe it or not, I actually found this to be a bit underwhelming. I do believe it's an awesome stop to go see, however, it's in the middle of the city, which surprised me. I figured it would be more away from "the crowds", but it's not at all. I also thought it would seem more "palace like" but it reminded me of a fancy government building. I got my picture out front, walked around the area and pretty much moved on. This was a check off the bucket list to at least say I've seen it.

Day Two - Day Trip to Stonehenge, Bath, Lacock, & Avebury

This specific trip I booked through Trip Advisor, which no longer appears to available but there are tons of other companies that have similar offerings! My friend & I were the only two people that booked that day so it was basically our own private tour without the premium price. This made it a really cool experience!

See Stonehenge

Was it built by aliens? Many seem to think so. Or was it the druids? We may not ever know as there are many mysteries surrounding this stone circle. However, if you're visiting England, missing this would truly be a waste. It is SO COOL to see in person, however, if you're going during the rainy season, I might suggest rain boots as the ground gets very muddy and you might even sink a bit. The circle is closed off to people walking through due to the sensitivity of the ground to protect the stones. You can still get some really awesome photos & enjoy this ancient structure!

Visit the Roman Bath House

If you're visiting Bath, this one is also a no-brainer. For anyone that's curious, no you cannot get in the water. Once you see the color of the water, you also won't want to. There's a ton of cool history and other things to see as you work your way towards the center to see the main bath pool. Take your time here if you can.

Lunch at Bath Fish & Chips

So I did have fish & chips in London & honestly.....they sucked. THESE HOWEVER!! OMG! This was I think THE BEST fish & chips I've ever had! The fish was huge & the chips were plentiful! I ordered the cod and had it with malt vinegar. Definitely stop here if you have time! I'm sad I didn't take a picture of my food here, but I was in a rush to get back to our driver.

Visit Lacock Abbey

I didn't go inside but I did see the outside of the Abbey & it was very pretty. 

See Harry Potter Filming Locations

Our driver was very knowledgable about everywhere we went and pointed out to us that this village was used for many scenes in the Harry Potter movies! It even has the house used as the face for Harry's parent's house. So if you're a fan of the franchise Lacock is a cool town to visit. Strange name though.

See the Avebury Stones

We stopped in this city for only about an hour and a half or so. It seemed pretty small but mostly featured other large stones, but not as big as Stonehenge. It's got nice sights and was a calming way to end the day before heading back to London!

Day Three - London

Have a Traditional English Breakfast

You can probably find these in many restaurants, however, my hotel The President Hotel, had an English breakfast buffet every morning included with our stay & not only did that save me some cash, but it was very filling! Still not sure if I can get down with beans for breakfast though.

Visit the Tower of London

The name here is a bit deceiving as this way more than just a tower, it's an entire complex. I booked my tickets to this also through Headout! I got there just in time for one of their free tours and the man who gave it was absolutely hilarious! It lasted about 45 mins and I learned a ton, mostly about all the cruel ways people were sentenced to death there. Afterwards, I walked around on my own through all the different buildings and if you're squeamish at all, maybe skip the torture room. It's a dark and disturbing one. 

Visit the Tower Bridge

Often confused with the being the London Bridge, which is not as impressive, I walked across and even went to the top of pillars! Going up does have a small fee, but definitely worth it. The views are pretty cool so go up if you can!

Tour Westminster Abbey

A truly gorgeous building! This is where many of the royals have had their weddings & where many others have been laid to rest. There are actually A TON of people buried here and their graves are all over the abbey. I would recommend getting the audio guide and spending a good amount of time here. It's filled with a lot of history and truly remarkable. It was probably one of my favorite things I saw on this trip.

Tour Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries

This is inside of Westminster Abbey on the top floor, if you take the stairs it's a decent workout. It costs an extra five pounds on top your admission ticket, but I do believe it's worth the money as there are some fascinating relics to see including a copy of the Magna Carta! Maybe you don't think that's cool, but I do.

Have Pub Food for Dinner

No trip to London is complete without a trip to the pub! I visited one right near our hotel called The Friend at Hand. I was surprised to see Chicken Tikka Masala on the menu but decided to save the Indian food for another time and ordered the Steak & Ale Pie. The crust was tough but it did come with a whole boat of gravy to make it a bit easier.

Day Four - Harry Potter Studios

Harry Potter Studios Tour

I booked a small group private tour, which included transport from London to the studio, skip the line, a whole guided tour through the studio, a lunch break, and re-entrance into the studio after the tour. I got to learn a ton from the guide & then being able to go back through by myself was amazing. The second run through is when I took most of my photos and I spent almost the whole day here! You do have to get back on your own, but you should have a round trip ticket. Just pay attention so you don't miss the last train. The studio claims it's in London, but it's about an hour outside of the main city. This experience made my inner child so fulfilled & was worth every penny!

Get Butter Beer

This is clearly inside the tour! There's a cafeteria where you can order lunch & you can also get a butter beer! I found out from our guide that the butter beer in the UK is less sweet than in the US because they have a special sugar tax. Since I'm writing this well into the future I can confirm this to be true! The butter beer in the UK was much better than the one I had at the flagship store in NYC.

Indian Food for Dinner

It's been said the best Indian food outside of India, is in London. That makes a lot of sense if you think of how many immigrants from there they have and how Chicken Tikka Masala was invented in the UK and is now their national dish. No, I didn't order that but I did get Butter Chicken and naan. Was is it good? Oh my god yes it was. Like damn.

Day Five - London

Climb the Monument Tower

If you've got good cardiovascular health, give this tower with it's 311 steps a go! There's an inexpensive entry fee & once you get to the top there's a pretty awesome view. Don't worry, walking back down is much easier.

Visit the British Museum

The cool thing about this museum is that it's filled with a ton of world history.....though not much of it seems to be British. *cough cough* Anyway! The museum fee is donation only so you could even get in for free! I did give five pounds which I thought was fair as the museum is massive & you can easily spend five hours or more here. I only spent about three as it was my last day & I had a flight to Dublin to catch. The main highlights to see are the Egypt & Greece sections! If you're a language junkie like myself, they also have the Rosetta Stone. I nearly cried. Wow. It was beautiful. 

Final Thoughts

Visiting England for the first time was a really amazing experience, full of adventure, early wake ups, and watching the world fall apart because it was March 2020. If you're planning a trip, I hope these recommendations help you to have an amazing time!

This page contains affiliate links and we may earn a commission if you make a purchase.